


Nightmares and New Beginnings

by friendofspiderman



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Awesome May Parker (Spider-Man), Canon Compliant, Dreams and Nightmares, Gen, Nightmares, Peter Parker Needs a Break, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker has PTSD, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Supportive May Parker (Spider-Man), Worried May Parker (Spider-Man)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:33:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25662907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/friendofspiderman/pseuds/friendofspiderman
Summary: She flicks on his low light lamp and joins him on the edge of the bed."I heard you cry out..."Shit."Sorry, I--""No, no, don't apologize," she rubs his back gently, "I just wanted to make sure you're okay."I'm not."I'm fine."
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker
Comments: 6
Kudos: 25





	Nightmares and New Beginnings

He is falling. 

He was flying, but now he is falling. 

He can't save himself. There's nothing to latch onto. 

He hits the ground. 

_Why does the impact hurt more than normal?_

He winces, arches his back. 

_It's so loud._

Lights flash. They're painfully bright. 

_Too much too much too much_

He dodges another explosion. He inhales dust. 

_Too much too much too--_

"Peter _?_ " 

_Who is that? Who here, on this forbidden planet, knows his name?_

More explosions, more dust. He throws his hands over his head and curls into a ball. 

He coughs, his lungs burning. 

_It's too much, too--_

_"_ Get up, Peter. _"_

_I can't, I can't, I--_

"Peter, please--"

The voice is right. He has a job to do. He's an Avenger now, so he has a job to do. 

_The gauntlet. Where is the gauntlet?? How could he have let it go?_

He scrambles for the object. He finds it and holds it tight to his chest. 

_Now what?? The fate of the universe rests on_ him _now, on him keeping this thing safe, but aliens surround him and it's too loud and too bright and it's_ too much _, and he's not supposed to be here and he can't_ breathe, _and--_

"Peter?" The voice becomes louder. 

"Peter??" 

* * *

He sits up sharply. He's in bed, in Queens. He's gripping his pillow to his chest. 

_Oh. A dream._

Slight movement to his right makes him flinch. His aunt kneels beside him. She's in pajamas. 

_Has he woken her up?_

She speaks softly. "Sweetheart? Are you okay?" 

He is entirely alert. The thought of sleep feels laughable. He unfurls, swings his legs over and touches his toes to the ground. 

"Yeah, why?" 

She flicks on his low light lamp and joins him on the edge of the bed.

"I heard you cry out..." 

_Shit._

"Sorry, I--" 

"No, no, don't apologize," she rubs his back gently, "I just wanted to make sure you're okay." 

_I'm not._

"I'm fine." 

"Another nightmare?" 

_A memory._

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry." She kisses the top of his head. "Do you want to talk about it?" 

_Yes--please, yes. I'm terrified._

"No." 

"Okay." 

She continues rubbing his back and they sit in silence. It's almost as unbearable as the noise, at first. But then he focuses on her touch. It helps. 

He can't keep doing this. 

_Please stay._

"You can go back to bed now, May." 

"Are you sure?" 

_Please stay._

"I'm sure." 

She studies his face. For a moment she looks almost as broken as he feels. He hates it. 

_She doesn't deserve this_. 

"I'm good, May. Really." 

_I'm not okay. Please stay._

She runs a soft hand through his hair. He looks straight ahead and tries not to think. Not to feel. 

She takes a deep breath. "I'm a little shaken tonight myself, actually. Something about this first week in a new apartment is harder than I thought, you know?" 

He nods. 

"It might take me awhile to adjust to this place." She continues. "It's funny--I always thought I was conditioned to embrace change. That I was good at it. But this--this is too many changes all at once, isn't it?" 

He nods again, looking down at his hands. He doesn't want to talk now, but he wants her to keep talking. It's helping. 

"I think it's okay for us to take our time. Everyone's just figuring life out now, those who were blipped and those who weren't. It's all going to take time."

He thinks she's saying this just for him. He feels a little guilty. But it's helping. 

"Did I tell you how crazy Marge from work and her family found each other again?" 

He shakes his head. 

She laughs a bit, then crosses her legs and rests her elbows on her knees. "Settle in, it's going to be a bumpy ride." 

He relaxes and leans against the wall. She talks for over an hour, first about Marge, then about other stories of displaced friends who were reunited with family. Her voice is grounding him, reminding him that they are _here_ and they are _alive_ and they are _safe._

He doesn't know how she knew this was what he needed. He doesn't ask. He lets the moment save him. 

When she leaves, he's closer to okay. He doesn't want to talk, but he thinks she can decipher his feelings in her parting embrace. 

_Thank you._

**Author's Note:**

> So, this might become a two-chapter fic. I wasn't really planning to write this at all, it came to me all at once and it's not heavily edited. But I do have a part two in my head about why/how May decided to start her charity for displaced New Yorkers. (And you can never have too much Peter and May, right?) 
> 
> Let me know what you think! Comments mean the world to me!


End file.
